My family didn’t buy soda to bring home; my depression-era parents always viewed soda as an occasional treat and not a household staple. As a result, my favorite soda memory as a pre-teen was pedaling my bike to the grocery store in the summer, buying a one-liter glass bottle of Coke (with the metal screw-top lid), and sitting on the curb drinking the entire thing.
I know that joy. We still had a few smaller stores that carried soda in glass bottles and joy of having something cold in a glass bottle after riding your bike on a hot day was unforgettable.
-“Pepsi-Cola hits the spot, twelve full ounces, that’s a lot!” One of the greatest advertising jingles of them all, which was still being referenced decades after its introduction.
-"Coke called theirs “The Thirstbuster,” tying it to the blockbuster movie Ghostbusters. The bottle even featured prominently in a promotional campaign that included tie-ins with the film in 37 countries. Ray Parker Jr., who sang the Ghostbusters theme, appeared in Coke commercials singing assorted new lyrics to the tune, “When you come in first with a real big thirst, who you gonna call? Thirst Buster.”
At the time, Coke was the parent company of Columbia Pictures, which released the film, so this was essentially an in-house branding exercise.
I have thought about the commercial, but it wasn't until I had gone back when doing a podcast about the movie and did some rewatching that I realized they made different versions with different lyrics. A really fun/effective in-house branding exercise.
I remember the Thirstbuster ads, but my mom didn't bring home soda from the supermarket so we would not have experienced this massive amount of soda other than at a party or after-church function.
Even though we had it at home, it was a limited amount bought at the start of the month and when it was gone that was it until next month. So anytime I was at any sort of function where soda was served, I needed to reigned in. It was the poison I picked over all the other sweets.
That would have been the last crossover time with plastic very quickly taking over everything. Where one lived seemed to be a big factor in all of this.
Great article. I had forgotten that three liters were a thing. I’m trying to remember if Jolt Cola ever had a three liter. If so, it was probably designated as a WMD.
When we had evening D&D games at my one friend’s house, he always supplied two 2-liter bottles of Jolt. Five of us would split that and we would be buzzing for hours and most night had to be forced to stop playing. Two 3-liter bottles might have finished us off.
Did not even know that 3L bottles existed! I don't recall seeing them in Canada. I do remember that 2L bottles had an extra piece of thick green or black plastic on the bottom, as the indentations were weak and would collapse.
Same for me in Québec. The 3 litre bottle was never a thing, but we have to keep in mind the bottling was taking place in Canada, and any change of size would require re-tooling a bottling plant, or building a separate one.
This is so rad. Thank you for doing these articles. Glad to see RC get a mention. I'm not a fan of Pepsi, but have been starting to come around on them since Coke has been pushing the Freestyle machines, which offer a poorer quality product than a traditional fountain. It's always important to remember that competition breeds innovation and a rising tide lifts all boats.
RC was a family favorite. We had a lot of pizza parlors in my town and at least once a month we would get a pie. One of our favorite places would throw in a bottle of RC for free and I still associate the taste of RC with pizza.
I was so excited about those Freestyle Machine when they came out, but they have not lived up to their promise. The flavors overlap and so if I am getting something from them, it usually HI-C orange which is harder to find in regular soda fountains.
Man, I love that. Thanks for sharing. There's something so pure, even in a moral sense, about those experiences and associations. I lost my dad a few years ago, and I'll never abandon the things I associate with him. Hotdogs, paperbacks, the movie theater, science fiction, Seattle sports, and anything remotely similar the video rental experience and Papa Johns.
That is a really interesting article. As I wrote in another comment, the 3-litre bottle was not found where I grew up, in Québec, we we're nicknamed the Pepsis, from our distinctive preference for it over Coca Cola.
Furthermore, my mom didn't buy soda drinks every week. When we three kids were baby sat on some Saturday nights, we were allowed to share one 7.5 oz of Seven-Up among all three of us. The pouring into three glasses was highly supervised to prevent one from getting more than the others!
Now, between 1920 and 1984, there was a bottler in Montréal called Kik Cola who made many varieties of carbonated drinks, with some fruity flavours too. It was bought out by Crush and closed shortly thereafter, to "crush" the competition. Haha.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new player called The Pop Shoppe opened many outlets in the province. It sold Coke, Pepsi and other brands, including its own, in consignment bottles. It was selling at a discount, but the big companies reacted by lowering their prices. Competition was good for the consumers!
I was born in '85, so I missed the heyday of the three-liter. But I still remember seeing plenty of the oversized bottles in my youth---it was just always a discount store brand, not one of the big names. I recall seeing three-liters of store-brand cola being sold for around the same price as a two-liter of Coke or Sprite, so my mind has always associated them with quantity over quality; if you visited someone's house and saw a three-liter bottle in the fridge, it was a clear indicator of economic status (my family commonly bought store-brand soda, but always in two-liter bottles, as our fridge couldn't handle the big 'uns).
My family didn’t buy soda to bring home; my depression-era parents always viewed soda as an occasional treat and not a household staple. As a result, my favorite soda memory as a pre-teen was pedaling my bike to the grocery store in the summer, buying a one-liter glass bottle of Coke (with the metal screw-top lid), and sitting on the curb drinking the entire thing.
I know that joy. We still had a few smaller stores that carried soda in glass bottles and joy of having something cold in a glass bottle after riding your bike on a hot day was unforgettable.
I remember doing this at A&W back in the day. That ice-cold root beer was a sweet treat in the California desert summers.
I also remember they sold root beer in gallon jugs, and you got 10¢ off if you brought the jug back for a refill.
I love the Thirstbusters commercial!
Who you gonna call!
-“Pepsi-Cola hits the spot, twelve full ounces, that’s a lot!” One of the greatest advertising jingles of them all, which was still being referenced decades after its introduction.
-"Coke called theirs “The Thirstbuster,” tying it to the blockbuster movie Ghostbusters. The bottle even featured prominently in a promotional campaign that included tie-ins with the film in 37 countries. Ray Parker Jr., who sang the Ghostbusters theme, appeared in Coke commercials singing assorted new lyrics to the tune, “When you come in first with a real big thirst, who you gonna call? Thirst Buster.”
At the time, Coke was the parent company of Columbia Pictures, which released the film, so this was essentially an in-house branding exercise.
I have thought about the commercial, but it wasn't until I had gone back when doing a podcast about the movie and did some rewatching that I realized they made different versions with different lyrics. A really fun/effective in-house branding exercise.
I remember the Thirstbuster ads, but my mom didn't bring home soda from the supermarket so we would not have experienced this massive amount of soda other than at a party or after-church function.
Even though we had it at home, it was a limited amount bought at the start of the month and when it was gone that was it until next month. So anytime I was at any sort of function where soda was served, I needed to reigned in. It was the poison I picked over all the other sweets.
I must have slept through 1984, I don't remember this at all. I think we were still buying soda in returnable glass bottles in the mid-80's?
That would have been the last crossover time with plastic very quickly taking over everything. Where one lived seemed to be a big factor in all of this.
Great article. I had forgotten that three liters were a thing. I’m trying to remember if Jolt Cola ever had a three liter. If so, it was probably designated as a WMD.
When we had evening D&D games at my one friend’s house, he always supplied two 2-liter bottles of Jolt. Five of us would split that and we would be buzzing for hours and most night had to be forced to stop playing. Two 3-liter bottles might have finished us off.
Did not even know that 3L bottles existed! I don't recall seeing them in Canada. I do remember that 2L bottles had an extra piece of thick green or black plastic on the bottom, as the indentations were weak and would collapse.
Very cool article, thank you!
Same for me in Québec. The 3 litre bottle was never a thing, but we have to keep in mind the bottling was taking place in Canada, and any change of size would require re-tooling a bottling plant, or building a separate one.
Excellent point, thank you, Daniel. That totally makes sense!
This is so rad. Thank you for doing these articles. Glad to see RC get a mention. I'm not a fan of Pepsi, but have been starting to come around on them since Coke has been pushing the Freestyle machines, which offer a poorer quality product than a traditional fountain. It's always important to remember that competition breeds innovation and a rising tide lifts all boats.
RC was a family favorite. We had a lot of pizza parlors in my town and at least once a month we would get a pie. One of our favorite places would throw in a bottle of RC for free and I still associate the taste of RC with pizza.
I was so excited about those Freestyle Machine when they came out, but they have not lived up to their promise. The flavors overlap and so if I am getting something from them, it usually HI-C orange which is harder to find in regular soda fountains.
Man, I love that. Thanks for sharing. There's something so pure, even in a moral sense, about those experiences and associations. I lost my dad a few years ago, and I'll never abandon the things I associate with him. Hotdogs, paperbacks, the movie theater, science fiction, Seattle sports, and anything remotely similar the video rental experience and Papa Johns.
That is a really interesting article. As I wrote in another comment, the 3-litre bottle was not found where I grew up, in Québec, we we're nicknamed the Pepsis, from our distinctive preference for it over Coca Cola.
Furthermore, my mom didn't buy soda drinks every week. When we three kids were baby sat on some Saturday nights, we were allowed to share one 7.5 oz of Seven-Up among all three of us. The pouring into three glasses was highly supervised to prevent one from getting more than the others!
Now, between 1920 and 1984, there was a bottler in Montréal called Kik Cola who made many varieties of carbonated drinks, with some fruity flavours too. It was bought out by Crush and closed shortly thereafter, to "crush" the competition. Haha.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new player called The Pop Shoppe opened many outlets in the province. It sold Coke, Pepsi and other brands, including its own, in consignment bottles. It was selling at a discount, but the big companies reacted by lowering their prices. Competition was good for the consumers!
I was born in '85, so I missed the heyday of the three-liter. But I still remember seeing plenty of the oversized bottles in my youth---it was just always a discount store brand, not one of the big names. I recall seeing three-liters of store-brand cola being sold for around the same price as a two-liter of Coke or Sprite, so my mind has always associated them with quantity over quality; if you visited someone's house and saw a three-liter bottle in the fridge, it was a clear indicator of economic status (my family commonly bought store-brand soda, but always in two-liter bottles, as our fridge couldn't handle the big 'uns).